Engine-starting apparatus



Aug. 9, 1927.

w. w. RIEDEL mm sunrme APPARATUS Filed NW,

Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UNITE WA TER w. nrnnnn, on DAYTON, oHIo; Asslsuon, BY vrnsnn. AssrouMnu'rs, 're,

DELCO-REMY- corarona rron, or Barron, onro, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

nueinnsraurxue APPARATUS.

Application filed November 24, 1925. Serial no. 71,242.

This invention relatesto improvements in a starting device for internal-combustion engines and particularly to that general form oi device which includes a motor having a rotatable powertransmitting member, mov-' able transversely into engagement with the en no when the motor is rotated Rotation of the motor is obtained by the operation of speed than the power-transmitting member,

tholatter will be thrown out of engine engagement.

General-y, in devices of this kind, maintenance of the manually-controlled element in operated position will cause the rotating power-transniitting member to bemoved repeatedly into engagement with the, faster r0: tating engine. which will immediately throw said member back into its disengaging posi-.

tion. This result is not only objectionable,

in that it would produce undue noise and pounding, but-1t nnght also prove damagingto the starting device.

The present invention has for its object. to provide a starting device of thetypementioned, equipped, however, for preventing a return of the motor into engagement with the engine after it has become self-operating and while the manually-controlled means ismaintained in operated position.

followi stood that the starting device could be moved. into, drivingconnectionwith any-other su1t-.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the gdescription, reference being'had to, the accompanying drawings, wherein a pree able, rotatable element of the engine for cranking purposes.

The starting motor comprises a housing 21 containing an armature provided with a shaft, 22, journaled in the end frames of the motor housing in any suitable manner. This armature shaft extends beyond both end frames of the motor housing, each end of said shaft being pivotally' mounted on the supporting latform 28. In the drawings, only one enfof the starting motor is shown; therefore, the description will be directedparticularly to this end,the method of mounting the end of'the armature shaft not STATES; PATENT OFFICE- shown being substantially like the mounting illustrated in the drawings.

Motor armaturev 22 has a power-transmitting element 24 secured to its. one end, said power-transmitting element being shown mthe form of a friction wheel. Between the friction wheel and the housing of the start ingmotor and journaled on the armature shaft 22, there is a link 25 which is pivotally secured-to a, standard 26 by means of pin 2?. This standard 26 may be secured to or be formed integral with the platform 23, which in turn is carried on the'vehicle frame adjacent the engine in any suitable manner. From this it mayv be seen that the motor is pivotally supported on standards 26 by means of links 2 5,duplicates of the standard 26 and link 25 being provided at the opposite endofthe armature not illustrated in the drawings.

Normally, when in inoperative position, the motor will heat a substantial, distance from, an imaginary vertical line passing through its pivot pin 27. It will, of course, be understood that this inoperative position is on the side of this imaginary line opposite from the engine. The motor is held in this normal, inoperative position by means of a spring bumper 28 upon which the link 25 is adapted to rest. This spring in turn iS supported by the extension 29 formed on i the standard 26, SEUCli extension forming amal position, whereby jarring. and shaking oii'the-vehicle in passing over a rough road bed Wlll not cause displacement of. the motor.

out of normal, inoperative position. The spring 28 acts also as a shock-absorbing element when the motor is suddenly returned to its normal, inoperative position after the engine becomes self-operative.

Adjacent the standard 26 the platform 28 is provided with another standard upon which the track member 86 is. pivotally mounted by means of a pin 37. The stand ard 35 is so positioned on the platform 23 that the track element 36 will lie in the path of the power-transmitting member 24 of the starting motor. The inner edge, or more specifically that edge of the track element 36 which lies adjacent the powertransmitting element 24, is provided with a curved portion 38, circular in shape, so as to permit the said track portion 38 to fit about a portion of the circumferential edge of the power-transmitting member 24 when the track is moved into its operative position. The remaining portion or" the inner edge of said track element, or that desig nated by the numeral 39, is so curved that when in its operative position. while the motor is still in its normal inoperative posiion, this edge will gradually approach the pivotal center of the motor, making this edge portion of the track eccentric to the circumferential path of travel of the powertransmitting member. Thus, when the motor is moved clockwise about its pivot pin 27 and the track 36 is in engagement with the power-transmitting member 24. the said member will move the track element in a conterclockwise direction about its pivot point as it approaches the extremity of said t ack element. As seen in Figs. 1 and 2. th track element extends slightly beyond the vertical plane passing through the pivot pin of the motor.

An extension 41 is provided on the track element, said extension having one end of a spring secured thereto while the other end of the spring is anchored to any suitable member of the vehicle frame. This spring tends to move the track element in a clockwi e direction about its pivot pin 37 until said element engages with the power-transmi ting member. 5

Under certain conditions, however. it is desirable to hold the track element out of engagement with said member. Therefore. there is provided a latch lever 42 which is fulcrumed on pin 43 carried by the platform 23,said lever being moved toward the track extension by spring 44. A detent lug 45 is provided on the latch lever, which is adapted to engage with the end of the extension 41 to hold the track element out of engagement with the pow-er-transmitting member while said latch lever is held in such track-extension engagement.

Carried by the motor vehicle. in any suitable manner, there is a manually-controlled element or pedal 48, held in normal, inoperative position by means or a spring 49. This pedal 48 includes a stem 50 at the end of which there is carried a bridging element 51 adapted, through operation of the pedal 48, to be brought in bridging engagement with contacts 52 and 53 of the starting switch, thus closing the circuit across this switch which will cause the motor to operate and rotate its shaft 22. A slidable plunger 54 is carried in the stem 50, said plunger extending beyond the edge of said stem and held in this position by means of a blade spring 55 carried on the side ofthe stem. This plunger 54 isso arranged on the stem 50 that when the pedal 48 is in normal, inoperative position said plunger 54 will be on. the motor side of the latch lever 42. The stem is so positioned relative to the platform 23 that upon operation of the pedal, this plunger can engage with said latch le ver to operate same out of engagement with track extension 41. A stop 56, however, is provided which limits the movement'ot said latch lever by the plunger 54, so that when said latch lever engages this stop pin, further movement of said lever is prevented.

Continued operation of the pedal 48 will cause the plunger to move transversely through the stem 50 against the effect of the spring 55. thus permitting continued movement of the pedal 49 to cause the plunger to be moved on the side of the latch lever 42 oppositethe motor, thereby releasing the latch lever 42 and thus permit-tin g the spring 44 to return said lever into engagement with the track extension 41. Continued movement of the pedal will cause bridging of the contacts 52 and 58.

The operation of thedevice is as follows:

WVhen the operator desires to'start the motor, the pedal 48 is depressed. As has been explained, the plunger 54 will engage with the latch lever 42, moving .it counterclockwise around its fulcrum pin 48 against the effect of the spring 44, thereby releasing the extension 41 of the track element 36 and thus permitting the spring 40 to move the said track element 36 clockwise about its pivot pin 37, so that the edge 38 will engage with the power-transmitting element 24. This power-transmitting element will not start to rotate until the contacts 52 and 53 are closed, thus, the motor will remain in its inoperative position, or the position shown in Fig. 1, until the pedal 48 has been operated so that the plunger 54 will move past the latch lever 42, due to said latch lever engaging the stop 56.

As soon as the pedal48 has been moved sufficiently so as to cause bridging of the contacts 52 and 53, the motor will start to rotate, and due to torque reaction, the powertransmitting element 24 will startto crawl along the edge portion 39 of the track element 3G toward the end of saidtrack. As the power-transmitting element approaches the end of thetraclr, it will gain momentum, thus causing the motor to be thrown over the vertical center oiits pivot wherethe weight of the motor is sutiicient' to carry it the remaining d'tance, so that the power-trans- 7 niitting element will engage with the engine flywheel, as illustrated in the drawing.

lVhi-le the power-transmitting element is moving along the track edge portion 39, the track 36 will be moved in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot pin 37, due to the fact that this portion 89- is not radial with the pivotal point of the motor. The counterclockwise movement of the track will again place the extension ll of the track element in latched relation with the detent lug $5 on the latch lever, this latch lever having been permitted to return to its nor- 'mal position after the plunger has passed operating, it will rotate at a greater speed than the pow'eretransmitting element and,

thereto e, throw the motor outof engagement therewith. Being thrown out of engine engagement, the motor will move radially in a 'countercloclnvise direction until the link 25 again engages with the bumper spring 28 at which time the motor will come to iest,it being held in this position by means of the gripping element 30. l

It, the operator maintains the pedal 48 in operative position, in which the contacts and 53 are bridged by. the element- 51, the motor will still continue to rotate. Radial movement of the motor, nevertheless, is prevented because the track element 36 is being held out of engagement with the power-transmitting element 24 and will so be held until the operator releases the pedal Returning the pedal 48' to its normal position will cause the plunger 54a to again engage with the latch lever 42; This latch leve however, being engaged with the extension 41 of the track element 36, will not move with the plunger 54E so that said plunger will again be moved transversely relative to the stem 50, thereby permitting said plunger to pass the latch lever 42 and again assume its normal position in respect to said lever.

The power-transmitting element 24 has been shown in the form of a friction wheel having a wedge-shapededge. In order to friction wheel 24 and the flywheel, a V- shaped groove 60 is provided in the flywheel into which said i'riction wheel is adapted to be shifted, so that the wedging ellect ot the motor will cause an increased grippingefiect at the friction wheel in this V-shaped groove, thereby to overcome the inertia ot the engine. 7

lVhile the form of embodiment'oi the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow. What is claimed is as follows:

1. A starting device for an internal-com-v bustion engine including a flywheel comprising, in combination, .a pivotally-mounted motorhaving a power-transmitting member; a track adapted to engage with the said member, but normally locked out of engagement therewith; and a manuallypperable I means for unlocking the track so as to 'per mit it to engage v the power-transmitting member and for causing the motor to rotate,

whereby the motor will be moved radially 1 about its pivot toward the engine, causing the power-transmitting member to engage the flywheel for cranking purposes.

A starting device for an internal-combustion engine including aflywheel comprising, 'in combination, a pivotally-mounted motor having a power-transmitting member;

a p'ivotally-mounted track adapted to be moved into engagement with said member; a latch for holding said track out of engagement withsaid member and a manually-operable means for operating the latch to release the track, whereby it will move into engagement with the power-transmitting member, said manual means being adapted also to cause the motor to rotate, whereby the motor will be moved radially about its her; a latch for holdingsaid track out. of

engagement with said member; a motor switch; a pedal, operable to unlatch the track and close the motor switch whereby the track will engage the power-transmitting member and the motor will rotate, thereby causing the motor to move radially about its pivot for causing the saidmember to engage with the engine flywheel for cranking purposes. I

a. A starting device for an internal-combustion engine including a flywheel comprising, in combination, a motor pivotally mounted on a standard adjacent the flywheel; a power-transmitting member on said motor adapted to engage withthe engine flywheel; means carried on said standard for yieldingly holding the motor in flywheel-disengaging position; a pivotallymounted track adapted to be moved into 7 engagement with the power-transmitting member; a latch adapted to engage said track for holding the same normally out of engagement with the power-transmitting member; and means for operating the latch to release the track so that it will engage the said member, and for causing the motor to rotate, whereby the motor will move radially about its pivot, away from its holding means and into flywheel-engaging position for cranking purposes.

5. A starting device for an internal-combustion engine including a flywheel. comprising, in combination, a pivotally-mounted motor having apower-transmitting memher; a pivoted track adapted to engage with said member, but normally latched out of engagement therewith; manually-operable means for unlatching the track so as to permit it to engage with the power-transmitting member, operation of said manual means also causing the motor to rotate, whereby the power-transmitting member will crawl along the track, causing radial movement of the motor about its pivot and thereby bring the said member into cranking engagen'icnt with the flywheel; the aforementioned track being so constructed and arranged as to be engaged by the powertransmitting member during the radial movement of the motor toward the flywheel,

whereby the track is moved into engagement with its latch to hold said track out of engagement with the power-transmitting member while the manual means is maintained in motor-rotating position.

6. A starting device for an internal-combustion engine including a flywheel comprising, in combination, a pivoted motor having a power-transmitting member; a movable track normally latched in inoperative position but releasable to engage said member; manual means for releasing said track and for causing the motor to rotate whereby the power-transmitting member will be moved radially into flywheel engagement; the aforementioned track being constructed and arranged for causing the power-transmitting member to move said track into normal latched position, during the radial movement of said member, whereby, when the said member and the flywheel are disengaged and the motor returned to normal position, said track will be held out of engagement with said power-transmitting member while the manual means is maintained in operated position. 1

7. A starting device for an internal-combustion engine including a flywheel comprising, in combination, a pivoted motor having a power-transmitting member; a movable track normally latched in in0perative position but releasable to engage said member; a spring for moving and yieldably holding said hinged means in engagement with the power-transmitting member; manual means for releasing said track and for causing the motor to rotate, whereby due to the engagement of the power-transmitting member and the hinged means, the powertransmitting member will be moved radially into flywheel engagement; the aforementioned track having a camming face for causing the power-transmitting member to move said track into normal latched position, during the radial movement of said member, whereby, when the said member and the flywheel are disengaged and the motor returned to normal position, said track will be held out of engagement with said power-transmitting member while the manual means is maintained in motor-rotating position. v v,

8. A starting device for an internal-combustion engine having a rotatable part connected therewith; a motor having a rotatable power-transmitting member movable transversely into engagement with said engine part: a movable track engageable with said member; means for normally latching the track out of engagement with said member; manually-controlled means movable into operating position for releasing the latch to permit the track to engage said member and for causing the motor to operate, whereby the member will move transversely toward the engine part by cooperation with said track: the aforementioned track being so constructed and arranged as to be responsive to the transverse movement of the member for restoring the track to latched position.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

WALTER w. RIEDEL. 

